Elaine developed programs and resources to assist Wisconsin counties and municipalities in education and management of household hazardous waste, and in community management of related products such as hazardous wastes from farms and from very small quantity generators of hazardous wastes. Her office served as a clearinghouse of scientifically accepted information and facilitated local and county program development. County Extension faculty identified program needs. Over time, Elaine collaborated with other Extension units to provide a broad selection of resources that counties could use to determine what services they wanted to provide and how to provide them efficiently and effectively, along with resources to evaluate their program performance in relation to programs in other counties.

The household hazardous waste education program was first initiated in response to a request from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for education assistance. The WDNR was having to respond to an increasing number of community hazardous materials spills due to inappropriate storage of wastes near water bodies. Nationally, in the early 1980s, there was a new awareness by state environmental agencies that household wastes were contributing to the problem. The Wisconsin program is summarized in an article in Extension Review: